A variety of approaches have been developed to condition the hair. A common method of providing conditioning benefit is through the use of conditioning agents such as cationic surfactants and polymers, high melting point fatty compounds, low melting point oils, silicone compounds, and mixtures thereof. Most of these conditioning agents are known to provide various conditioning benefits.
For example, United States Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0103923 from SAN-EI KAGAKU relates to a composition containing an alcohol, the composition being for blending in a hair treatment agent, and hair conditioners prepared from the hair treatment agents. SAN-EI publication discloses a variety of such compositions for blending in hair treatment agents, including compositions containing fatty alcohols and cationic surfactants, for example, in Examples 100-110. The SAN-EI publication also discloses hair conditioners by using such compositions for blending, for example, in Example 112-118.
In Examples 112-117 of the SAN-EI publication, the compositions for blending (Examples 102, 103, 104 and 106) are heated up to 80° C. or more, then mixed with mainly water to make hair conditioners. The compositions for blending (Examples 102, 103, 104 and 106) used therein contain higher percentages of liquid material (for example, 27% propylene glycol in Example 102, 47% of liquid petrolatum in Example 103, 43% of glycerin and 18% of liquid petrolatum in Example 104, and 28% of glycerin in Example 106) together with fatty alcohols and cationic surfactants.
In Example 118 of the SAN-EI publication, a composition for blending (Example 111) is added to an emulsion cooled down below 40° C., wherein the emulsion is of water and an additive composition containing a cationic surfactant and a fatty alcohol, and further mixed with water to make hair conditioner. The composition for blending (Example 111) contains ethanol, cationic surfactant, and more than 80% of water, and no fatty alcohols.
SAN-EI publication also discloses preparation of hair conditioners in Examples 150-156. In Example 150-154, compositions for blending (Examples 123, 126, 127, 130, 133, and 134) are heated to above 80° C., and added to water which is also heated to above 80° C., and emulsified and cooled to make hair conditioners. The compositions for blending (Examples 123, 126, 127, 130, 133, and 134) contain cationic surfactants and fatty alcohols, and also 15-20% of liquid oils (in Examples 123, 130 and 133) or 6-8% of polyoxyethylene esters (in Examples 126, 127 and 134).
Another example can be United States Patent Application Publication No. 2003/223952 from P&G relating to a process for preparing cleansing composition comprising (a) combining a fatty alcohol and a surfactant in a premix at a temperature sufficient to allow partitioning of the surfactant into the fatty alcohol, (b) cooling the mixture below the chain melt temperature of the premix to form a gel network, (c) adding the gel network to a detersive surfactant and an aqueous carrier to form a cleansing composition. The P&G publication discloses Examples in paragraphs [0186]-[0190], using such gel network containing fatty alcohol and cationic surfactant.
Also, United States Patent Application Publication No. 2016/143827 from Kao discloses a composition that is solid at room temperature and wherein the water content is 10 wt % or less, and a hair conditioner composition prepared by dispersing the solid composition in water at moderate temperatures. European Patent Application Publication No. 2394632 from Shiseido discloses a hair conditioner composition with an extremely low water content, and from which a hair conditioner composition can easily be manufactured simply by diluting with water.
However, there remains a need for conditioning compositions to provide at least one of the followings:                More flexibility in product composition rheology especially storage modulus (G′), preferably even when using the same amounts of actives such as surfactants and high melting point fatty compounds. Product compositions having different rheology especially storage modulus (G′) are believed to provide different moundness, and product composition having a higher moundness tends to provide rich conditioning perception/feeling and also tends to be easy to apply to hair and/or easy to hold on palm.        Improved stability of aqueous base compositions and product compositions, especially when using smaller amounts of actives such as surfactants and high melting point fatty compounds in aqueous base compositions.        Improved deposition of benefit agents when containing benefit agents in the composition;        Improved stability when containing incompatible components;        Improved visual/aesthetic appearance.        
None of the existing art provides all of the advantages and benefits of the present invention.